Windows 10 continues to cause issues for users with its updates. As reported earlier some users were getting the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) after installing updates on Windows 10 April and October 2018 Update. This wasn’t the only problem as there have been several reports around Task Manager issues and app problems that have been reported since the release of October 2018 Update.

If that wasn’t enough, Patch Tuesday updates brought in their own set of issues for even the older versions of the operating system. Several users reported earlier this week that their machines lost audio after cumulative updates were installed. The problem apparently came from a buggy Intel audio driver that broke the sound on some machines.

Microsoft has now confirmed the issue, saying that it “incorrectly pushed” an Intel driver to devices via Windows Update. Windows maker has recommended users who are experiencing audio issues to uninstall the problematic driver.

“An Intel audio driver was incorrectly pushed to devices via Windows Update for a short period of time earlier this week. After receiving reports from users that their audio no longer works, we immediately removed it and started investigating. If your audio broke recently, and you’re running Windows 10 version 1803 or above, please check to see if the incorrect driver was installed. To regain audio, we recommend you uninstall the driver.”

You can do it manually or install another update, which will fix the issue for you. KB4468550 (download link) will remove the driver, which “addresses an issue where after installing the Intel Smart Sound Technology driver (version 09.21.00.3755) via Windows Update or manually, computer audio may stop working.”

How to fix Windows 10 audio issues manually

If you don’t want to install the above update, you can manually remove the driver (version 09.21.00.3755) by following steps shared by the company:

Launch the Device Manager (type in Search).

Find and expand Sound, video, and game controllers.

Now, look for a Realtek device, or a device that has a yellow triangle with an exclamation point.

Click on the device to select it.

From the View menu, choose Devices by connection.

Look at the parent device – this will be called something like “Intel SST Audio Controller” (Intel Smart Sound Technology driver version 09.21.00.3755).

Right-click the controller device and choose Properties.

You will see a dialog like this. Click on the Driver tab.

Screenshot: Microsoft

If the driver version is 9.21.0.3755, you have the driver that was sent to you incorrectly.

Let us know if the above fix gets you back your PC’s audio. As for Microsoft, the company has to deal with a bigger problem – improving its QA department. While the last few updates went without any massive issues, the latest Windows 10 October 2018 Update and then even the cumulative updates have brought in several problems, pushing many to ask the company to go back to the drawing room and start focusing on stability more than new features. Windows Update continues to break machines and even though the adoption rate of new updates is soaring, it is only translating into more devices getting stuck or not working properly.